CHAPTER 17: THE SI WONG DESERT (PART 2)
(Disclaimer: Avatar The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own my OC's)
(PLEASE READ: THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO "SHUJINKO: THE FOURTH MEMBER", BUT A DIFFERENT STORY WITH SHUJINKO AS THE MAIN CHARACTER. THIS STORY WILL NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT WHATSOEVER IN "SHUJINKO SHIPPUDEN". I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO SHUJINKO'S ORIGINAL STORY)
Summary: One night, a stranger breaks into Shujinko's house and tries to steal one of the most mystical objects in the history of the Ozuma clan: The Eye of Kazemaru. When Shujinko tries to stop him, the two of them activate an ancient and forgotten power of the gem by accident, which sends them to another dimension where a certain bald-headed monk has to master the four elements in order to defeat the evil Fire Lord. What kind of impact will Shujinko's presence have in the Avatar universe? Who is this stranger and what does he want? Get ready for one wild space-time adventure
"Hear me out, guys. Has it ever occurred to you that none of this is actually happening? What if everything we've been through up to this point was premeditated from the start? Could it be that we're just part of a story someone came up with and that all our actions have already been decided for us? Think about it. People write books about tales and adventures all the time. The characters in those books think they're real, but they're obviously not. Maybe our case isn't any different. Have any of you considered that possibility?"
"Have you considered the possibility that we might push you off this boat if you keep talking nonsense, Sokka?" Toph said as she rubbed her fingers against her temples. Just like the rest of Team Avatar, she was sick of hearing Sokka blabber on about every single ludicrous idea that crossed his mind, each of them more bizarre than the last. "So what's the deal? When will we get to whatever place that compass is guiding us to?"
"I'm not sure, but I think we're close," Katara replied all the way from the quarterdeck, keeping her eyes on the needle of the compass to make sure they wouldn't deviate from their path. "Aang, are you alright? Do you need to take a break or something?"
Aang pushed another gale of wind towards the sail, making the wooden vehicle move at a fast and steady pace. He'd been going at it for hours, but thanks to the energy boost supplied by the food pill, the airbender didn't feel even remotely tired. Besides, they needed to find shelter before the effects of the food pill wore off, so stopping now wasn't going to do them any good. "Don't worry about me, Katara. I'm fine," Aang said, indicating through his tone of voice that he wasn't interested in anything else besides the task at hand.
While all of this was going on, Shujinko was sitting by himself in silence, with one arm wrapped around the mast of the sand-sailer to prevent any falls. At this point, he had gotten used to having the wind constantly blowing against his face, but he wished he had warmer clothes to put on now that the desert had reached its lowest temperature. It made him wonder why the hell the Si Wong tribes lived in a place like this, with nothing but countless miles of sand all around them and weather conditions as amicable as a pack of hungry wolves.
Normally, the Ozuma would have something to say to the group, such as words of encouragement or suggestions that could help solve whatever issue they were dealing with. But now, for the first time since the day he joined Team Avatar, Shujinko felt there was nothing he could do to contribute. Sure, he had handed out food pills to his friends, which had been a great aid, but that was really all he had to offer. No jutsu, no strategy, no ability of his could help them cross the desert faster or keep them away from the danger they were facing, and that made Shujinko feel weak and defeated.
The worst part of it all, however, wasn't knowing that he couldn't do anything to fix the mess they were in, but rather not knowing if he'd been the one who had caused it in the first place. The sandbenders who had kidnapped Appa were most likely the same scumbags they had bumped into during their brief visit to the Misty Palms Oasis. One of them even gave Shujinko a warning before they left. "You better grow eyes on the back of your head, you little bastard. This ain't over," The Chunin didn't pay those words much attention at the time, as they came from a puny thug who'd just been humiliated in front of his cronies. He hadn't expected those ruffians to take any form of reprisal, and he certainly never thought they'd go this far just to get back at them.
With painful accuracy, the Ozuma remembered what Katara had chastised him about straight after their encounter with the sandbenders, how she expressed her disagreement regarding the way he had handled them. Judging all of the things that had led Team Avatar to its current situation, part of Shujinko feared that the waterbender had been in the right all along and that he was at fault for the problems they were now dealing with. If he had avoided those sandbenders instead of confronting them, maybe they wouldn't have gone after Appa and Team Avatar wouldn't be in such a tough spot.
In other words, if they didn't make it out of this desert one way or another, it would be on him.
Shujinko's ruminations were interrupted by the sound of Katara suddenly telling Aang to slow down for a moment as she went to grab Sokka's handbag, retrieving his brass telescope. After stretching the optical instrument to the maximum, she looked through the lenses and stared at a particular location as the rest of Team Avatar waited for her to say something. "I think… I think I know what the compass is pointing to!" the waterbender exclaimed. "There's a giant rock up ahead. It could be the magnetic center of the desert,"
"Did you say giant rock?" Toph asked as a hopeful smile spread across her face. "Yes, let's go! Come on, what are we waiting for?"
'A giant rock in the middle of the desert. Hooray,' Shujinko thought, not nearly as excited as the earthbender was. If Katara had seen a settlement or a body of water they could drink from, it would've been a far more valuable discovery, but he supposed even a giant rock was better than just more sand… only not by much.
After a couple of minutes of fast traveling, Team Avatar finally reached the magnetic center of the desert, a massive boulder that stood roughly about 150 feet high. Toph was so ecstatic that she gave the rock a hug the moment they got there, treating it as if it were an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time. With her help, they were able to climb up quickly by standing on a slab of rock that Toph formed, which she then controlled to carry all of them upwards like an elevator. The sun was already starting to come out by now, bringing some much-needed warmth and light.
Upon reaching the top, Toph threw herself to the ground and started spreading her arms and legs back and forth just like a kid making snow angels during winter, claiming how much she'd missed being able to see again. The rest of Team Avatar went to explore some caves that were there, including Sokka, who was finally showing signs of mental clarity after hallucinating for hours on end. "Man, that cactus juice really messes with your head," Sokka said, frowning as he rubbed his temples. "I don't even remember how we got here. Did I miss anything?"
"Nothing too important, but please, don't you ever drink cactus juice again," Katara replied. "You wouldn't believe the sort of nonsense you talked about, and we were forced to listen to you the entire time. Honestly, it's a miracle none of us went insane because of you,"
"Trust me, sis. I learned my lesson. Cactus juice is delicious, but this hangover is killing me. It's not worth it,"
Once they entered one of the caves, the first thing that caught everyone's attention was the yellow gooey substance that was everywhere, almost completely covering the inner walls of the place. "What is this thing?" Shujinko asked as he grabbed a kunai and retrieved some of the slime, bringing it close to his face to inspect it. At first glance, it appeared to be some kind of sap, but that didn't make sense given how there weren't any plants in the cave, and the last time he checked, rocks didn't store sap inside them. It had to come from something else.
Toph placed her hand on the ground and used her seismic sense to detect the vibrations of their surroundings. Soon enough, her brow was furrowed, having picked up on several inconsistencies with the cave's structure. "Guys, this doesn't seem like a normal cave to me. It feels different, like it was carved by something. I can tell by the shape of this place that… Wait, did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Katara asked.
"There's something buzzing in here. I don't know what it is, but it's getting bigger… and it's moving,"
Sokka squinted his eyes as he tried to look for whatever it was that Toph was referring to, but all he could see was more of that yellow slime stuck to the walls of the cave, followed by a path that grew darker until it was pitch black. "I'm not sure, Toph. I don't see anything moving. Maybe you're just imagining thi-"
All of a sudden, a faint rumble was heard, followed by an ever-growing tremble and the echoes of shrieks. The members of Team Avatar stared at each other for a couple of seconds before making a run for it, leaving the cave seconds before a swarm of creatures did as well. Now outside, and with his eyes wide open, Shujinko saw a group of giant insects flew around in the air, surrounding them with the clear intent of making them their prey. These animals known as Buzzard Wasps had the body of a bee and the head of a vulture, a combination that made them one of the ugliest living beings Shujinko had ever laid eyes on.
Shujinko looked everywhere to see how many of those repulsive creatures were there, counting up to ten. They didn't seem to move very fast, but they were twice the size of an adult person and they could fly, which gave them a notable advantage over them. Pulling out a pair of kunais, the Ozuma quickly evaluated the situation and decided that, with the few resources at their disposal, he wouldn't be able to neutralize that many threats unless it was permanent, which meant he'd have to kill them. Shujinko didn't like having to resort to this, but those flying predators were going to eat them unless they were taken care of forever, and honestly, he doubted anyone would resent the killing of such disgusting beasts anyway.
"If anyone has a plan on how we're gonna deal with these things, I'd love to hear it," Toph said, a hint of urgency in her voice. Despite being on solid ground, there was nothing the earthbender could do to detect the movements of something that wasn't making contact with the terrain she was standing on, and the constant sound of multiple wings flapping at high speed was screwing with her developed sense of hearing.
"Let's try to not get eaten alive. That's all I can come up with," Sokka replied nervously before Katara snatched his club out of his hand, holding onto it tightly. "Hey, what do you think you're doing? That's my club!"
"Sorry, but I don't have any water to bend! What do you want me to do?"
"Katara, stay by my side. We'll face them together," Shujinko ordered, making sure that his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear him. He may not know a lot about surviving in a desert, but fighting against multiple opponents at once was something he was definitely used to, and now it was his turn to pick up the reins. "Toph, Sokka, you two stick with Aang. His Airbending should help keep them at bay, so your job is to not let any of those things get too close to him. Remember, these things want to eat us. Do whatever you have to do to not let that happen, even if it means getting your hands dirty with blood,"
The Chunin hoped that last sentence was explicit enough to get the message across: He was going for the kill and so should they. To his surprise, Aang didn't try to protest or argue with him on that, to which Shujinko was thankful. He was well aware that the Avatar was completely against killing living beings, but at least he wasn't going to preach about it nor prevent others from doing it under the circumstances they were in. It was either that or Aang was too innocent for his own good and hadn't realized what Shujinko meant, in which case the Ozuma had no time to clarify, for the swarm of Buzzard Wasps fell upon them seconds after he was done talking.
The moment this happened, Team Avatar split into two groups as Shujinko had instructed. The Buzzard Wasps attacked together, but in an uncoordinated manner that allowed the group to react to them. Shujinko moved out of the way when a Buzzard Wasp attempted to land on him and tried to pierce the animal's torso, but the tip of his kunai barely penetrated the skin, which was remarkably thick. Luckily, the predators attacking them were dumb and clumsy, so Shujinko was able to evade them without much difficulty. Katara was having a harder time defending herself with her brother's club, swinging the weapon around in hopes of landing a lucky hit.
"Katara, look out!" Shujinko shouted as another Buzzard Wasp approached her. Seeing as she didn't have enough time to react, the brown-haired boy shoved the waterbender aside and allowed the overgrown insect to crash into him instead, dragging him across the ground until they reached the entrance of the cave.
Shujinko grunted as the Buzzard Wasp kept trying to peck his face off, opening and closing its long beak to release horrifying squawking noises. With the weight of the flying creature on top of him, it was almost impossible for the Chunin to move, let alone escape. He had his hands firmly around the Buzzard Wasp's neck, which was the only thing that was preventing the creature from hurting him badly as they both struggled, but Shujinko knew his grasp would break eventually.
Katara immediately went after him and began hitting the Buzzard Wasp as hard as she could from behind. "Get off of him, you fat, stupid insect!" she yelled, but the fat and stupid insect didn't seem to register her attacks as it kept trying to rip Shujinko's head off his shoulders.
Before this could happen, the Ozuma quickly reached for his kunai and swiftly stabbed the predator in its left eye. The Buzzard Wasp let out a blaring screech and started waving its head around, spilling drops of blood all over the place and finally letting go of Shujinko, who gave the animal one last kick to send it back. Wounded and half-blind, the Buzzard Wasp abandoned the fight as fast as its wings would allow it, tumbling erratically in the air.
The waterbender helped Shujinko get up, whose entire lower half was shaking. "Are you okay, Shujinko?"
"… I think so," the Chunin responded, gritting his teeth. He still had plenty of energy left thanks to the food pill, but that didn't make him immune to pain. A little later and one of his bones might've snapped under the weight of the Buzzard Wasp. "Change of plans. You go and help Aang. It'll be easier that way," Without waiting for her to reply, Shujinko left the entrance of the cave and went to face the rest of the swarm on his own.
Katara couldn't help but feel a little hurt over this. By asking her to join the others, Shujinko had basically told Katara that she was a liability to him and that he was better off fighting without her. Since there wasn't any water nearby, the girl from the Southern Water Tribe couldn't handle herself nearly as well as she normally did, something that was probing itself apparent at this very moment. Regardless, Katara knew Shujinko was right and this was hardly the time for petty arguments, so she tightened her grip on Sokka's club and went to assist the rest of Team Avatar whichever way she could.
Now that he didn't have to worry about Katara, Shujinko jumped into the air and landed on top of a Buzzard Wasp that had just gotten pushed away by Aang's Airbending. Not having seen him coming, the creature was caught off guard by the boy on his back and started to fly around aimlessly, losing stability and altitude. The young ninja waited until his enemy was tired before burying his kunai into the Buzzard Wasp's neck, making sure to pierce through as much flesh as possible before pulling the weapon out and jumping away immediately after. The winged predator went limp in mid-air as blood spurted uncontrollably out of its neck, spinning while falling to the ground.
Meanwhile, Aang and Toph were putting up a fight against the other Buzzard Wasps, who were proving themselves to be relentless beasts of prey. Since the earthbender couldn't see any of them, Sokka and Katara were helping her shoot rocks at the Buzzard Wasps by grabbing her arm and pointing at the target so that she could aim. On the other hand, the Avatar had managed to scare most of them away by creating strong gusts of wind that struck each of the giant insects directly, leaving them heavily stunned. Despite being dumb creatures by nature, Buzzard Wasps still possessed instinct just like every other animal, and animals understood that running away from an unfavorable fight was far better than dying needlessly.
Things took a turn for the worse, however, when one of the Buzzard Wasps set its reddish eyes on Momo and decided to go after him, swiftly grabbing the frightened Winged Lemur before flying away. As soon as Aang saw this, the young airbender didn't think twice about it and immediately began to chase after them, refusing to lose Momo like he had lost Appa. The rest of the swarm left the battle, as it became clear that they would have to look elsewhere for their next meal.
"I think that's it. I don't see any more of them," Katara said before letting out a prolonged sigh, her forehead covered in sweat. "Gosh, I hate this place so much. I can't wait to get out of here, and when we do, I'm never coming back,"
"Speaking of which, how are we exactly supposed to do that?" Toph asked. "If this rock is the only place that compass can guide us to, then we don't have a lot of alternatives in terms of where to go next,"
"The way I see it, our only option is to wait until more sandbenders arrive," Shujinko responded. "They must know to cross the desert better than anyone else, and if this rock is their guidepost, then they'll probably come here one of these days. Somehow, we gotta convince them to give us a ride and drop us off at the Misty Palms Oasis, at which point everything will be much easier. In the meantime, we can take shelter in the caves. Finding water is going to be an issue, but maybe we co-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the Chunin was alerted by the sound of wings flapping, to which he reacted by turning around and placing himself in front of Sokka, Katara, and Toph. One Buzzard Wasp who hadn't joined the remaining of the hive was flying close to them, shrieking menacingly. The earthbender and the Water Tribe siblings got ready to attack, but Shujinko raised his hand as a way to tell them not to engage.
"I'll take care of this one. You just stay back," he said before bringing his palms together, activating the Karura Tensei. "This'll be over soon,"
The Buzzard Wasp laid its eyes on Shujinko, who took a few steps forward and then stood there calmly, staring back at the predator as he slowly wiggled his fingers to loosen them up. There was a moment of silence in which the tension between them created a heavy atmosphere, as if those two were swordsmen fighting a duel. With his enhanced eyesight, Shujinko focused his gaze on where he would deliver his strike, ready to react as soon as he noticed any sudden moves.
Finally, the giant insect charged at him. The Ozuma didn't waste any time and weaved a couple of hand signs as he charged back, diving towards his enemy at the last second…
… SWOOOSH
With a single swing of his arm, Shujinko's Kazekiri tore apart the skin and the flesh of the Buzzard Wasp like a hot knife going through butter, opening a gash the size of a human limb. The Buzzard Wasp collapsed and its body slid roughly across the ground, leaving behind an abundant trail of blood. Shujinko turned around and let out a sigh, deactivating both his Kekkei Genkai and his jutsu before the shocked stares of Team Avatar. His face and his clothes were smeared with the sanguine fluids of the Buzzard Wasp, almost as if someone had splashed red wine all over him.
As he began to approach them, the golden-eyed teen heard the sound of contracted whimpers that were definitely not human.
To his surprise, the hybrid was still alive, but only just. Injured, twitching, and suffering, the Buzzard Wasp was slowly dying in a small puddle of its own blood. The gash was causing the creature so much pain that its neck and legs were writhing, but the hopeless wails of agony that begged for mercy were the worst of all, to the point where even Shujinko grimaced. His intentions were to take out the Buzzard Wasp fast and clean, which was why he had used the Kazekiri in the first place, but the poor bastard was tougher than what he had anticipated.
Predator or not, there was no reason to prolong the Buzzard Wasp's torture, so Shujinko drew a kunai and took a knee next to the animal. Before proceeding, he gave his friends a warning glance, wishing to spare them from having to witness something as unpleasant as what he was about to do. "You might want to look away,"
"Shujinko, wait! Don't-" Katara began to say, but it was too late. As soon as she saw the Chunin cocking his arm back, the waterbender instinctively closed her eyes and tightened her fists.
TWACK
Shujinko plunged his kunai into the crook of the Buzzard Wasp's neck, producing a squelching noise that lasted for a few seconds after the blade was pulled back out. The whimpering came to an end, followed by the faint, yet still audible sound of blood dripping down both from the stab wound and the weapon that caused it.
The Ozuma slowly got up and took a step back, staring at the gruesome mess that now lay at his feet. Although gross and distasteful, it wasn't as if he'd never seen worse before, and it was hard to feel remorseful over a wild beast that would've devoured him had he done nothing about it. He did, however, regret not being able to kill the Buzzard Wasp right away and force it to experience so much unnecessary pain before putting the giant insect out of its misery, but just like life itself, nature wasn't always fair, neither to humans nor to animals.
Once he finally lifted his gaze, Shujinko saw the different expressions on his friends' faces. Katara was, understandably, repulsed by what had just taken place, unwilling to look at the bloody corpse or anything near it, including the golden-eyed teen. Hearing the last choked squeals of the Buzzard Wasp had left the girl feeling sick, and her stomach couldn't possibly handle seeing what was in front of her. On the other hand, Toph's blindness shielded her from having to observe the death of the Buzzard Wasp, but due to her seismic sense, she was able to detect the creature's heartbeats right up until the moment Shujinko delivered the coup de grace. She wasn't going to criticize Shujinko for what he did and she understood his reasons, but it was still unnerving nonetheless, especially the lack of hesitation on his behalf.
The only one who had managed to keep his eyes open was Sokka, who saw everything despite flinching and squirming with discomfort. Even though he was no ninja, Sokka had spent years hunting and foraging, which entailed getting his hands dirty in exchange for food, pelts, bones, and other objects that could be used or traded for goods. Killing animals wasn't an easy or pleasant thing to do, but traveling across the world and spending most days in the wilderness made it necessary to survive, which was why he was able to stand the crude scene that unfolded before him.
Seeing as no one had anything to say to him, Shujinko cleaned his weapon as best as he could, carefully rubbing the sides of the blood-soaked kunai against the fabric of his pants, his only clothes that hadn't gotten dirty. "Toph, lend me a hand here," the Chunin said after he was done, placing his kunai back inside its holster. "I don't want Aang to see this once he comes back,"
Despite how disgusted it made her feel, Toph agreed and made use of her bending to raise a chunk of earth off the ground with the Buzzard Wasp on top, which she then pushed forward. The young Beifong nearly gagged when she stepped on some of the blood that was scattered all over the place, but the thought of accidentally dropping the chunk of earth that carried the dead body forced her to remain focused on what she was doing. Once she got close to the edge of the rock, Toph undid her Earthbending and allowed both the corpse and the chunk of earth to fall down rather unceremoniously.
Seconds later, the sound of a punctured sack of meat bursting open reached her ears, and although Toph wasn't particularly squeamish, she couldn't help but cringe this time.
'The things I do for these guys,'
000
A few minutes later, Aang returned with Momo clinging onto him with his tiny arms around the airbender's neck. Upon landing on the magnetic center of the desert, the Avatar soon noticed the disgruntled looks of his friends, followed by the currant red liquid that surrounded a spot of the surface, where a chunk of earth seemed to have been plucked off the ground, which immediately raised alarm bells in his mind. "What happened?" Aang asked as he joined the rest of Team Avatar.
Once everyone had gathered around him, Aang saw that most of Shujinko's garments were covered in stains that matched the shade of the liquid from earlier, and thus he waited for him to answer the question. "When you went after Momo, most of those giant insects were gone, but one of them stuck around," Shujinko began to say. "I had no other choice but to take care of it,"
"Wait, is that…?" Aang went a bit pale as he realized what the Ozuma's clothes were soiled with, and a frown of clear disapproval appeared on his face. "… You killed that Buzzard Wasp, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did. That thing tried to attack us while you were gone and it wasn't going to stop, so I made a judgment call," the Chunin responded. He had actually killed two of them, but this wasn't a good time to set the record straight, as he could see the airbender already getting worked up.
"And that judgment call was to slaughter a creature that didn't know any better? How can you justify something like that? Don't you have a heart?"
Katara narrowed her eyes, her brow furrowed with concern. Although Aang had always been a staunch believer in the sacredness of life, he also accepted the fact that not everyone around him shared his moral values, which was why he never asked Sokka to stop hunting or her to stop eating meat. Normally, in a scenario like this, she knew Aang would understand that Shujinko acted in self-defense and wouldn't berate him for it, as the Buzzard Wasp really was a threat. However, losing Appa, getting punched by the Ozuma, and spending many hours traveling across this spirit-forsaken desert was clearly taking its toll on the Avatar and his emotional state, for Katara had never seen him react this way before, so confrontational and irritated.
"Do I have a heart? Sure, I got mine right here, and if I hadn't killed that Buzzard Wasp or however they're called, my heart would be rotting under the sun, not beating inside my chest. What the hell is your problem, Aang? You're seriously giving me crap over this? What was I supposed to do, let that wild beast turn me into its dinner along with the rest of us?" The airbender opened his mouth to retort, but he stopped when Shujinko suddenly jogged past him, squinting his eyes as he stared at the horizon. "Everyone, be careful. Looks like we have company,"
The rest of Team Avatar joined him to see what he was referring to. Surely enough, four dots were growing increasingly bigger at the distance, raising clouds of sand and dust as they got closer to the giant rock. Sokka quickly took out his brass telescope to confirm the identity of whoever was approaching them, but really, he could only think of one group of people crazy enough to travel this far into the desert… Well, aside from themselves, that is.
"Sandbenders,"
000
Sha-Mo was not a man who was easily taken by surprise.
Born as the son of Rakatek, the leader of the Tampai Tribe before him, Sha-Mo grew up following the traditions and customs of his people, with his father as his mentor and the Tampai Laws of Generation as his creed. The lessons started as soon as Sha-Mo had use of reason, and the most important teaching Rakatek instilled onto his heir was one that stuck with him for the rest of his life: If you ever let your guard down, the Si Wong Desert will end you.
The first time he heard those words, Sha-Mo was barely older than a toddler, and as such, he couldn't understand what his father was talking about. How could the desert, his birthplace, be dangerous? The sand was warm, the sun shone bright, and he always had fun chasing after tiny Gilacorns with the other kids of the tribe. If he and his friends ever got bored, they'd all grab sticks to wield as swords or spears and began mock fighting one another, pretending to be the famed warriors of their tribe that their mothers told tales about at night. His life was simple and happy, and for some time, Sha-Mo thought his father Rakatek was wrong.
Now forty-eight years old, Sha-Mo knew that his predecessor's teachings had held truth right from the start. Over the decades, the Si Wong Desert had forced the leader of the Tampai Tribe to understand just how brutal and unforgiving life could be. He'd seen children perish after getting bit by poisonous animals that roamed these lands. He'd buried women that had succumbed to illness and diseases, including his own wife Yulduz, whose delicate skin had been afflicted by the inescapable light of the sun. A number of his tribesmen, some of whom were friends he'd known since childhood, had gone on hunting trips with their sons to teach them how to survive, only to get caught up in a sandstorm that they never returned from.
All of these experiences, combined with the laws that laid the foundation of the Tampai Tribe, had shaped Sha-Mo into the man he was today, never cautious enough and never too wary for his own good. He and his people lived in constant war, not against the Fire Nation like the rest of the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribes, but against the Si Wong Desert itself, and the desert was an enemy that knew not of compassion or second chances.
This is why, upon seeing an individual gliding through the air like a bird, Sha-Mo immediately told his tribesmen to follow him from behind, as he needed to know what sort of nonsense was going on and what was that stranger up to. Soon, the posse of sandbenders arrived at the Si Wong Rock, which used to be a rendezvous point where all the tribes of the desert could meet up to discuss whatever affair they were involved in, at least until some Buzzard Wasps decided to grow their hives there. To his surprise, a couple of kids were waiting for them there, and none of them looked like they were part of any of the tribes established in the desert.
Sha-Mo stepped out of the sand-sailer along with his son Gashiun and the rest of his tribesmen. If the kids were scared of them, they certainly did a good job at hiding it, for he couldn't see any traces of fear or despair in their faces. In fact, they were staring at him the same way he was staring at them, with distrustfulness. The fact that they had a sand-sailer of their own only raised his suspicions. "My name is Sha-Mo, leader of the Tampai Tribe. Tell me what are you doing here and where did you get that sand-sailer. From the looks of it, that one belongs to the Hami Tribe,"
"That sand-sailer was abandoned in the desert," Katara answered, acting as the mediator of the group. "We found it and it led us to this place. Honestly, we don't know our way around here,"
"Is that so? How peculiar. You say you don't know your way around here, yet you're capable of maneuvering a sand-sailer without being sandbenders. Care to explain that?"
Aang took a step forward, holding his staff firmly in his hand. "I used Airbending to propel the sail. My name is Aang, and I'm the Avatar. We're here because one of our friends was taken from us not too long ago, and we're not leaving until we know where to find him,"
This revelation raised both of Sha-Mo's eyebrows. That boy was the Avatar in the flesh? The other members of the Tampai Tribe were just as surprised as their leader was, sharing glances of incredulity that they didn't bother to hide. Only Gashiun, who was standing next to his progenitor, had enough audacity to respond. "The Avatar? Yeah right, as if we were stupid enough to believe you," he said before turning to the leader of the tribe. "Father, these kids must be thieves. The people of the Hami Tribe would never leave one of their sand-sailers abandoned in the desert, and they certainly wouldn't sell them to outsiders. Everyone knows that!"
Most of the sandbenders murmured in agreement, to which Shujinko started assessing the situation in case things got hostile. Focusing his gaze, the Chunin proceeded to count how many potential opponents were present, starting with the one at the far left. Once his eyes met those of the last sandbender at the far right, the member of the Tampai Tribe flinched. Shujinko realized why, and at the same time, fury began to bubble up inside of him, making him clench his fists until his knuckles turned white. '… That son of a…'
"Enough!" Sha-Mo exclaimed, silencing his tribesmen at once. "There's no proof that these foreigners stole that sand-sailer from the Hami Tribe, nor have they wronged us in any way. We'd do well not to pass down judgment so hastily. As for you, Gashiun, how many times have I told you never to throw accusations that you can't back up? That sort of recklessness is what breeds foolish conflicts among tribes,"
"You're right, father. I apologize,"
After hearing the leader's son speak for a second time, all of Toph's doubts were erased. "I know who you are," the blind girl said as she pointed a finger at Gashiun. "You're one of the sandbenders who captured Appa,"
Toph's words caused the tension in the atmosphere to skyrocket in a matter of seconds. Sha-Mo turned to his son, whose face had gone pale and sweaty, looking like a criminal who had just gotten caught red-handed. Meanwhile, Aang's eyes were brimming with rage. "How do you know it was him, Toph?" Katara asked, fearing where this was going.
"I heard his voice when he and his buddies ambushed us outside the library, and I never forget a voice. I'm completely sure he was there,"
"That's not true!" Gashiun shouted. "Father, I have no idea what these kids are on about. They're liars. I don't even know what an Appa is. You have to believe me!"
"That's another lie! You followed us all the way from the Misty Palms Oasis!" All eyes were now on Shujinko, who, just like the earthbender, had his finger pointed at another member of the Tampai Tribe. "And that's the asshole who started everything!"
Sha-Mo instinctively looked at the sandbender at the far right. It was Joluik, a close friend of Gashiun, and easily one of the most problematic members of the group. He and his pals Chunah and Sungung were known for getting into trouble all the time, both with outsiders and with sandbenders from other tribes. Sha-Mo had always warned Gashiun to keep his friends in line, but he never thought his son would ever get involved in their misdeeds or cover for them.
Before Joluik had time to deny the allegation against him, Aang swung his staff and sent a strong gale of wind at one of the sand-sailers, completely wrecking the wooden vehicle. He was absolutely beside himself with anger and he was looking at the ones responsible for all the pain he was feeling. For the first time since he could remember, Aang was willing to use his Airbending for purposes other than self-defense, going against one of the most fundamental teachings of the Air Nomads that raised him. "You stole Appa!" Aang shouted, aiming his staff at another sand-sailer to make it clear he wasn't joking around. "Where is he!? What did you do to him!?"
"Son, what's the meaning of this?" Sha-Mo demanded to know. "Have you been disobeying the laws of our people behind my back?"
"O-Of course not! I'd never do such a thing! That deranged brat is mistaking me for someone else!"
"Tell me where my friend is right now!"
BAAAAM
A second gale of wind was thrown, turning another sand-sailer into a messy pile of splinters and chunks of wood. The members of the Tampai Tribe were terrified of what was going on, for if that kid destroyed all of their sand-sailers, all of them would die here. Some of the sandbenders were pressing Gashiun and Joluik to admit to their wrongdoings before it was too late, but despite the panic brewing amongst the tribesmen, the two of them refused to come clean, desperately claiming their innocence.
Finally, it was Toph who hammered the last nail in the coffin. "Stop saying you had nothing to do with this! I heard all of the things that came out of your mouth when you were struggling to subdue Appa! You even ordered to put a muzzle on him!"
"YOU MUZZLED APPA!?" Like a flare going off, Aang's emotions exploded. His blue tattoos began to shine with a blinding white light that replaced his eyes and the sand around him started shifting as Aang entered the Avatar State, driven by an implacable feeling of hatred that he couldn't nor attempted to control. The mental image of those sandbenders putting a muzzle on Appa and dragging him away had finally pushed the airbender over the edge, and he no longer cared about the consequences of his actions as long as those thugs got what they deserved. "I'll make you pay for what you've done," Aang said as his words were echoed by voices of people who weren't there, sending the coldest of chills down the sandbenders' spines.
Shujinko, who only knew what Sokka and Katara had told him about the Avatar State, was fairly shocked to see it for the first time. He didn't know how to describe the sudden burst of energy that the young monk was releasing, but most of all, he was afraid of what Aang might do next, for he clearly wasn't thinking rationally. It felt somewhat similar to watching Naruto lose control of himself and allowing the Nine-Tailed Fox to get a hold of him, but instead of the repugnant feeling of violence that emanated from the Tailed Beast's chakra, the Avatar State was just raw, unrestrained power, though it was more than enough to terrify the sandbenders.
The frightening appearance of Aang was more than what Gashiun could handle, and so the son of Sha-Mo got on his knees and finally broke down. "Okay, I-I admit it! We captured that bison and traded him to some merchants! They said they were going to take him to Ba Sing Se, that's all I know! Please, don't hurt us. This whole thing was Joluik's idea. I never would've agreed to it had I known that bison belonged to the Avatar, I swear!"
Far from appeasing him, Gashiun's confession caused Aang to grow even more unstable as he surrounded himself inside a sphere of air, pushing away everything and everyone around him. Shujinko wanted to stop Aang from doing something he'd later regret, but due to the wind and the sandy terrain, he could barely walk without falling to the ground. Sokka had grabbed Toph and ran for cover, knowing that Aang wasn't going to listen to them and that staying out of his way was the safest thing they could do right now.
While all of this was going on, Shujinko spotted Katara crawling towards Aang, doing her best to keep moving despite the danger she was facing. The Chunin yelled at her to stop, to turn around and get out of there, but his voice was muffled by the air currents that the Avatar was unintentionally releasing. Cursing his luck, Shujinko began to approach them as fast as he could, his mind racing as he asked himself how to prevent this madness from evolving into a genuine catastrophe.
Against all odds, the waterbender made it to Aang, who seemed unaware of her presence. Once she was close enough, Katara did the only thing she could think of, knowing that words wouldn't reach her friend while he was in that state. She hugged Aang from the side, pressing his body towards hers as much as possible, even if it meant running the risk of getting injured in the process. Shujinko thought Katara had gone crazy and tried to hurry, and despite how much he didn't want to, he prepared his body and his mind to fight against Aang in case he went on a rampage…
… But that never came to pass. All of a sudden, the wind grew tamer and less frenetic. Sand and dust no longer hampered his vision, and Shujinko was able to hear his surroundings once again.
The first noise that reached his ears was the sound of sobs coming from a boy who, despite his legendary status, renowned fame, bending abilities, and all the faith the world had placed on him, knew he had failed to protect his life-long friend.
000
"Allow me to start by saying I deeply regret the troubles and inconveniences that these two have caused you and your friends. Their actions, which I do not condone in the slightest, fail to represent the values of our tribe, and as their leader, I take full responsibility for the circumstances in which we found ourselves in. I, Sha-Mo, leader of the Tampai Tribe, offer you my sincerest apologies for whatever it's worth,"
The faces of Shujinko and Top remained impassible as they sat cross-legged on the Si Wong Rock a few meters away from Sha-Mo, Gashiun, and Joluik. Somehow, as unlikely as it was, things managed to calm down a bit after Aang's outburst, to the point where both parties were able to establish some resemblance of diplomacy between them through dialogue. Sha-Mo, a man who was tough in every sense of the word, came close to begging as he asked Team Avatar for a chance to talk things out without resorting to violence, knowing full well he and his men would not survive the Avatar's wrath should his temper flare a second time.
Shujinko, who was aware that the sandbenders were the only ones who could help them get out of the desert, took it upon himself to negotiate on behalf of Team Avatar and accepted Sha-Mo's request as long as the meeting was set up according to his conditions. The leader of the Tampai Tribe, his son, and Joluik, were to meet Shujinko at the top of the rock, alone and unarmed. If another tribesman tried to follow them or came too close to any other member of Team Avatar, the parley would end right there and then. A bit taken aback by Shujinko's maturity (as well as the fact that there was dry blood all over his clothes), Sha-Mo accepted the conditions, deeming them sufficiently reasonable.
That was when Toph piped up and asked to go with Shujinko as he handled the negotiations. When asked why, the Blind Bandit revealed that thanks to her highly-developed seismic sense, she was able to tell when someone was lying by noticing sudden changes in the rhythm of a person's heartbeats. While this caught everyone off guard, the golden-eyed teen recognized the benefits of this particular skill right away and included Toph's presence in the meeting as another one of his conditions, although Shujinko would do the talking and the earthbender would only intervene if she detected any lies coming from the sandbenders.
Far from getting vexed, Sha-Mo consented to it right away, as he was only interested in learning the truth of the matter and nothing else. Once Shujinko's conditions were established and agreed upon, both parties climbed up the Si Wong Rock and sat on the ground with a respectful distance between them. Sokka and Katara remained down at the bottom of the rock, consoling a teary-eyed Aang as best as they could. Meanwhile, the rest of the sandbenders had placed plenty of space between themselves and the Si Wong Rock, not only because their leader had asked them to, but also because of the possibility of angering the Avatar after what they'd seen him do had them scared rotten.
"While I'm not counting on it, I do hope the events that led us here were caused by a terrible misunderstanding," Sha-Mo said. "You most likely aren't aware of this, but we members of the Tampai Tribe follow our own codes and rules known as the Tampai Laws of Generations. Among other things, these laws of ours determine whether if the actions of a tribesman are acceptable or if they must be sanctioned. Naturally, as the leader of my people, I'm tasked to adopt the role of a judge during these instances,"
That last statement made Shujinko raise an eyebrow. "You're acting as the judge of your own son? That doesn't sound very impartial to me,"
"Hey, don't you dare call my father's integrity into question!" Gashiun snapped, forming a fist with his right hand. "How our laws work is none of your business, so you better show some res-"
"Be quiet, Gashiun!" Sha-Mo shouted vehemently. "We're lucky that the Avatar's friends have given us the chance to resolve this through peace talks. Unless spoken to first, I forbid you from uttering a single word for the duration of this meeting. Your intromissions are neither needed nor appreciated," The leader of the Tampai Tribe then resumed the conversation, displaying all the formality an embarrassed father was able to muster. "Please excuse my son. He won't bother us again. Now, let's get to the bottom of this. Gashiun and Joluik have admitted to stealing your Sky Bison. Is there a reason as to why this happened?"
"There sure is. Apparently, Joluik here is a brainless coward with a fragile ego who doesn't like it when threatening people ends up backfiring on him," the Chunin said, watching as the sandbender's face grew red with anger. "We were at the Misty Palms Oasis looking for a place to drink. This idiot was outside when he saw us coming and tried to bully us into leaving for no reason or motive. When I humiliated him in front of his two boyfriends, he was so angry that he later tracked us down and captured our Sky Bison when we weren't around. Isn't that right, Joluik?"
"Shut the hell up, little crap stain. You're lucky that all we did was steal that bison friend of yours," Joluik replied hotly. "Leader Sha-Mo, this punk pulled a knife on me and threatened to kill me on the spot. He insulted my honor, so I claimed the Right of Retribution and asked some tribesmen to help me capture that Sky Bison, which I took as my rightful compensation. We didn't do anything wrong!"
"You forgot to add the part where you reached for your dagger first but were too slow to draw it," Shujinko corrected him. "Guess I can't blame you. I mean, you do seem like a pretty slow person overall,"
Joluik was about to retort, but Sha-Mo raised a hand to prevent him from speaking, to which the sandbender begrudgingly obeyed. "Let's leave the taunting aside and focus on sorting out the issue at hand. I must say that, since I wasn't there to see it, I cannot know for sure who started what. However, that Sky Bison belonged to the Avatar, not this young man. The Right of Retribution cannot be claimed against anyone other than the offender, something you should know very well by now, Joluik. The same goes for you, Gashiun. Both of you are far too old to feign ignorance of the laws that govern us, especially my son, who has clearly forgotten he's supposed to set an example to his fellow tribesmen and the younger generations,"
Although Shujinko didn't let it be noticed, he kind of liked how Sha-Mo's parental ties with Gashiun didn't cloud his judgment. Throughout his career as a ninja, the Ozuma had seen his fair share of parents who turned a blind eye to whatever their children did or that a slap on the wrist was the only punishment they dealt out to them. Most of these fathers and mothers had been clients of his, so Shujinko had to suck it up and keep his mouth shut for the sake of the mission. Seeing Sha-Mo, a no-good brigand by the standards of the people of the Hidden Leaf Village, show more willingness to discipline his son than some of the 'well-educated' parents Shujinko had dealt with in the past was ironic and, to some degree, even amusing.
After taking a deep breath, the leader of the Tampai Tribe exhaled through his nose and stared at Shujinko with eyes as firm as stones. "Considering the unjust transgression my people committed against you, as well as the fact that you're traveling with the Avatar, I declare that you're owed something. Returning your Sky Bison to you is beyond my reach, but tell me what else can be done to settle our debt, and I'll personally see to it,"
"Our proposal is a simple one. Since your son said Appa is on his way to Ba Sing Se, I want you to take us there as quickly as possible, and you're also going to hand us enough provisions to last a couple of days. Oh, and just to make it clear, if you turn us down or decide to betray us halfway through, don't expect the Avatar to spare any of you. Aang will probably never forget what the Tampai Tribe did to his best friend, but if you agree to our terms and you keep your end of the bargain, I promise I won't let him harm you or destroy any more of your sand-sailers. So, do we have a deal or not?"
"Are you out of your mind? You can't threaten the people of the Tampai Tribe and then expect us to accept your demands! Who do you think you're talking to, foreign scum?" Gashiun asked before turning to his father, who was pressing his lips together until his mouth became a single compressed line above his chin. "Father, we don't have to listen to this. The Tampai Laws of Generations don't obligate us to make these kinds of concessions. Just tell these outsiders they can keep that stolen sand-sailer from the Hami Tribe and let them figure out how t-"
TWAAP
While still sitting on the ground, Sha-Mo slapped the back of his son's head hard enough to make him fall to the front. Almost immediately after, he grabbed Gashiun by the scruff of the neck and forced him back up, not meeting his gaze even for a second. "Listen closely, my son. You've broken the law of our people, you've put your tribesmen in danger, you've shamed me and our forefathers, and you've made a mockery of everything the Tampai Tribe stands for. I'm still considering what punishment you'll face for all this. However, if you speak out of turn one more time, I swear on the soul of your late mother that I'll brand you a wanderer as soon as we get this over with,"
Upon hearing this, Gashiun nearly choked with panic. Even Joluik was shocked that his leader would say that. In the culture of the Si Wong tribes, being branded a wanderer was the worst penalty of all, and the most disgraceful one by far. Wanderers were tribesmen who were banned from their tribes forever, who were executed immediately if they came back to them, and who were forced to live the rest of their lives exposed to the sheer wilderness of the desert. They were regarded as trash, vermin who were trusted less than scorpions and that deserved to die a lonely and miserable death.
For people who were born and raised in some of the most cohesive communities in the world, becoming a wanderer was a true nightmare and a fate that had to be avoided no matter what. Knowing his father was a man of his word, Gashiun decided he was better off biting his tongue for the remaining of the meeting and so did Joluik, afraid that Sha-Mo might impose the same punitive measures onto him. The leader of the Tampai Tribe cleared his throat before addressing Shujinko's proposal, acting as if he had just given his son a small lecture about manners instead of a deadly warning.
"Unfortunately, I cannot take you directly to Ba Sing Se. It's too far away from the Si Wong Desert and we don't have the means to grant you safe passage. However, if there's room for compromises, we can give you and the rest of your friends a ride out of the desert and leave you someplace close to Full Moon Bay with some supplies. It's only a few hours away, and from there, you can travel to any destination you want. I've even heard rumors about a station with ferries that transport dozens of refugees every day, all of them headed to Ba Sing Se. Trust me when I say this is all I can do to right my son's wrong,"
Shujinko took some time to think about Sha-Mo's counteroffer, measuring the pros and the cons very carefully. It wasn't an ideal solution, but it was the next best thing, and it could actually be safer for them that way. With the exception of Sokka, all the other members of Team Avatar had taken half a food pill each, which meant they had a shorter window of time to make use of the energy provided before the effects of exhaustion kicked in. In other words, they needed to get somewhere safe before they grew too weak to defend themselves.
If they spent too much time traveling with the Tampai Tribe, there was a possibility that Sha-Mo might go back on his promise at some point, and if that happened, he'd find all of them in a weary and tired state. Shujinko didn't know the man well enough to trust him, and he certainly didn't trust that sniveling oaf he had for a son. However, if they only traveled with them for a couple of hours, the chances of getting backstabbed by the sandbenders were considerably lower, and Team Avatar would be in a much better shape in case it happened. As for the place known as Full Moon Bay, Shujinko was confident they could sneak their way in should they need to, and traveling to Ba Sing Se on a ferry didn't sound like such an awful idea.
After giving it some thought, the Ozuma nodded at Toph to express his consent. The earthbender placed the palm of her hand against the ground to get a good feel of Sha-Mo's heart pulsations, ready to see if the leader of the tribe meant what he was saying. "I want to hear you swear that everything you just told us is true, that you won't betray us, and that we'll never see you or your tribe again once we're done,"
In response, Sha-Mo formed a fist and held it against his chest, bowing his head down solemnly. "I, Sha-Mo, leader of the Tampai Tribe, swear that everything I just told you is true, that at no point shall I betray you, and that once our agreement is fulfilled, neither I nor the rest of my tribe will seek you out ever again. May the Si Wong Desert take me if I lie,"
Aaaaaaaaand that was chapter 17 part 2. Hope you all enjoyed it.
Heh, I don't know why, but I just thought it would be funny to have Sokka almost discover the existence of the fourth wall right at the very beginning of the chapter.
On a more serious note, this chapter has the most graphic scenes in terms of violence I've ever written for this story. I want to make it clear that while I won't make a habit of writing scenes this gory, I won't shy away from doing so when I believe it's warranted. Don't forget that the Naruto series is far bloodier and less lighthearted than the Avatar series. Shujinko is a ninja, and even though he never likes to do it, he will kill when he finds it necessary.
Also, I'd like to explain Aang's reaction upon realizing that Shujinko killed a Buzzard Wasp. We all know that Aang is against the killing of living beings, but that doesn't mean he won't let anyone else do it as long as there's an understandable reason behind it. For example, he never gave Sokka a hard time whenever he went out hunting or ate meat in his presence, even if he didn't like it. The thing is, before he found out Shujinko had killed one of the Buzzard Wasp, Aang was already under a lot of emotional stress due to the Appa situation, so I think it was believable to have him react the way he did in this particular instance.
As for the way I portrayed Sha-Mo and the life of sandbenders, I took the liberty of adding some background content that, although it never would've been included in the show for being too gritty, makes a lot of sense in my opinion. These guys live in the freaking desert. There's no way life there can be easy. Also, Sha-Mo had a wife named Yulduz who died from skin cancer, which is canon as far as I know, so it's not unreasonable to assume that he's had to deal with other hardships before or that other tribesmen haven't gone through similar situations. All in all, life is tough, but it's tougher if you live in the desert.
I enjoyed making the last scene between Shujinko+Toph and Sha-Mo+Gashiun+Joluik, and in regards to the previous paragraph, the concept of being "branded a wanderer" is also something that I came up with. Not exactly original, but in the context of this story, I think something like that could easily be a thing there. It's basically the Si Wong tribes' version of Zuko's banishment, only a wandered isn't allowed to return under any circumstances.
Lastly, by the time this chapter is uploaded, this story has already surpassed the 250 followers. I'm really excited about it and I can't wait to see how much more can this grow.
Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow
Peace!